Personal Response My parents met each other under rather peculiar circumstances. Back in the day, when my father was still just Prince Eric of Denmark, he was on the eve of his 24th birthday. Yes, he is same Prince Eric whom you think to know so well from "The Little Mermaid" tale. Let me pause to say that I haven't the slightest clue who wrote up such an ridiculous story about my father and his choice of wife, but do not believe the lie! He was no shallow man! My father was honorable and chose his wife because of qualities far beyond her physical appearance! To even accuse him- sorry, I apologize for my emotional outburst. Let me explain what really happened. On the eve of his 24th birthday he still had no lucky woman in mind to marry. His father (my grandfather) was growing old and Prince Eric would inherit the throne in a few short years, but he could not face the embarrassment of doing so without a future queen! He set out to find one. Now as I have made clear, he was an honorable man. He valued many qualities in a woman- he understood that there is much more to an individual than how she looks. Consequently, my father did not begin his search by attending parties of celebrities or taking Miss Denmark out for dinner; rather, he began his search at Copenhagen University. Interviewing each and every professor, he developed a list of the University's hardest working female pupils. Work ethic is one qualities he greatly admired in hard-working women. He took this list of about twenty students and anonymously asked them to write an essay about Denmark's poor. My father considered compassion and empathy of great importance to one's personality. As a result, the young women who wrote the most empathetic pieces he decided to further pursue. Honesty and trustworthiness were also important. He observed the remaining seven candidates as they walked by an abandoned wallet he planted beside the road. Three women picked up the wallet and, after failing to find its proper owner, turned it into the authorities. These lucky three my father deemed to have honest character. He treated each one to an elegant dinner along the North Sea to make his final decision.
One young woman stood out to my father, Ariel. Born far away in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ariel grew up dreaming of one day studying in Europe. She worked hard through her youth and earned a scholarship to Copenhagen University. At age 15, she left behind her home, her family, and the world as she knew to follow her dream and study in Denmark. My father greatly admired her courage and drive. Furthermore, she had a warm heart, happy attitude, and made my father laugh the whole way through dinner. She possessed all the character traits my father sought. Later that week, he asked for her hand in marriage. She gleefully accepted. Now, many years later, I tell you the true story of Eric and Ariel, my parents. My father did not lust beautiful physical appearance alone, and my mother did not cut off her tongue, stupidly surrendering her entire world just for the chance to marry some handsome stranger. My parents may have met under unusual circumstances, but "The Little Mermaid" exaggerates an abnormal meeting to absolutely ridiculous proportions. Since when do Mermaids exist anyway?
Presentation and Analysis
Theme and Title Slide
The Little Mermaid had to sacrifice her individuality in her pursuit of the prince's love. The story's theme reflects 19th century patriarchy- in order for a marriage to work, the woman must change to fit her man. The Little Mermaid gave up her voice to earn legs in order to be more like the prince; the prince gave up nothing to fit the little mermaid's idea of beauty. Hans Christian Anderson also adds some personal criticism of men to the cultural norm of subordinate women. He believes that men are shallow and care only for beauty in women. The prince chooses his wife based solely on the fact that she has the most beautiful appearance- he does not take anything else into consideration when selecting a mate.
Speaker Notes:
Girls who are 15: you would have to change- not just your clothes- you must change who you are to meet the requirements of men
Guys who are 15- in the world of the little mermaid- you're pretty 1-dimensional. You look for pretty girls and pretty girls only.
Girls soon to be women- since men unfortunately rule the little mermaid world, you must sacrifice your dreams and who you are to meet this
Pick on a girl and tell her her dream is invalid in the world of little mermaid- she will grow up to be a beautiful woman
Naïve Child Slide
The Little Mermaid fits the innocent child archetype of fairy tales. She perceives only her world of happiness and peace, and she is at unawares of the pain that exits in the world. She hand feeds fish, fails to understand that humans can drown, and cannot comprehend the depth behind the idea of death. Furthermore, she is extremely curious about what she does not know, constantly pestering her grandmother and sisters for knowledge about the surface above her innocent sea world.
Speaker Notes:
She is a young, pure, and innocent girl in a happy world of hand feeding fish and child's play
Dreams of an an immortal soul
Curious about human world above
She is told by the witch what she is getting into (getting very little paid for by everything of hers) but does not realize the actual implications of this
Gives up EVERYTHING later in story for a painful pair of legs
FINISH ON how she fits the naive child archetype- hears about the suffering she is about to go through, but she does not understand what it will feel like and is overwhelmed by curiosity.
Blue Slide
Blue in "The Little Mermaid" symbolizes the innocence of the Little Mermaid and the happy, wonderful, pain-free world of the sea that she perceives as an innocent child (detailed above).
Speaker Notes:
Blue seen throughout the little mermaid and it symbolizes innocence, and represents the world through the eyes of the innocent child.
Especially through the ocean, it represents her before she becomes of age and acts like a blanket to shield and protect her from the world of being sexually mature.
Blue represents the little mermaid before she becomes sexually mature and before she changes to appeal to men, mainly the prince.
Red Slide
Red in "The Little Mermaid" symbolizes her lust for the prince and the Little Mermaid's after her coming of age. The color is frequently associated with her growing up and with her desire to walk on land and be loved by the prince. The color serves as the counterbalance for the blue symbol of innocence; red is the opposite. Red represents maturity and the shallow desires for beauty which Anderson claims come with maturing.
Speaker Notes:
Red is also a symbol that parallels blue.
It represents lust and passion universally, but in this story, it also symbolized coming of age and sexual maturity.
At first, she is still innocent but she grows her red flowers and prepares for the coming of age. Eventually, she comes out of the ocean, and the first thing she sees is the red sun and the clouds. She is being opened up into a new world of sexual maturity and being of age.
In the end, she throws knife into the sea and the water around it turns red, so it symbolizes her throwing away her desires (represented by the red).
Also, the story shows that sexual maturity is the prerequisite for being with men and the prince.
Witches Slide
The sea witch in "The Little Mermaid" fits the classic evil witch archetype of fairy tales. She represents the patriarchal punishments for mature women who try to express their individuality. Her comfort in her sexuality is symbolized by her friendly relationship with the ugly water snakes, a sexual symbol. As a result of her comfort, the witch ends up alone, ugly, and shunned. The sea witch and the witch archetype serve as a warning to young girls approaching maturity: submit to men or society will ostracize you.
Speaker Notes:
ARCHETYPE
Establish archetype
Common archetype - literature and fairytales
Represent individuality and actually embrace their uniqueness
She goes against men’s suppressed idea for women - they are only around for looks and chores
Witch embraces her sexuality which results in her being bitter and ugly - exact opposite of ideal woman
Is a warning to girls of what will happen when you express your individual power and voice
Surrounded by things she embraces, water snakes, a very sensual object (as you can imagine)
The witch is the opposite of our theme; does not sacrifice individuality
why she is ostracized
Voice Slide
Voice in "The Little Mermaid" symbolizes the Little Mermaid's individuality. What is a better tool of self expression than one's voice? It is how one expresses opinions, desires, dreams, etc. Naturally, when the Mermaid surrenders her individuality in order to be with her man, as the theme commands of young women coming of age, she does so by literally giving up her voice and as witch cuts off her tongue. The mermaid's surrender of her voice parallels her surrender of individuality.
Speaker Notes:
Mermaid see witch archetype to use her magic to satisfy desire for prince
As the story's theme commands, in order to acquire the prince she must sacrifice her individuality
She sacrifices her identity symbolized by the surrender of her most powerful tool of expression: her voice
She does what is required of mature women: listen to her man and only her man. She has no say and her surrender of expression is represented by her willingly giving up her tongue
Legs Slide
Legs in "Little Mermaid" symbolize the Prince's shallow view of a good mate: a beautiful woman. Consequently, when the Mermaid changes who she is to fit the Prince, she does so by trading her own mermaid tail for a pair of human legs to match the Prince. She must change to marry the prince; the legs symbolize what she must change to.
Speaker Notes:
Represent the change that the prince wants and men think are beautiful in this tale, but in modern day beauty could be hair style or your clothing.
She changes her legs to try and fit into the Prince’s idea of beauty.
Changing is the only way the prince can love her, and it tells that changing appearance is the only way men will love you.
She needs to change because, to be with the prince, that is what society expects of her.
Prince Charming Slide
The prince in "The Little Mermaid" fits one handsome prince archetype of fairy tales. He is the prince charming whom our female protagonist desperately desires. He is handsome (which is why the the protagonist even seeks his love), superior, and gets to choose which woman he will marry: the protagonist or another woman? Oddly enough, the prince in "Little Mermaid" defies the standard archetype by choosing not to marry the protagonist. Why? Anderson is simultaneously making a point that men are shallow and ignorant- despite the Little Mermaid's obvious faithfulness, he chooses to marry another woman simply because he finds her more beautiful.
Speaker Notes:
Girls change for Prince Charming
the thought that girls must change for the powerful, handsome man is and was pervasive in society
This is a double-edged sword
Guys have to be extremely handsome, or charming, to have the girls fall for them
If PC isn’t attractive, he isn’t saved when the boat capsizes.
Beauty is the overriding factor in decisions concerning others.
Then the little mermaid, who was very anxious to see whether she was really beautiful, was obliged to acknowledge that she had never seen a more perfect vision of beauty. Her skin was delicately fair, and beneath her long dark eye-lashes her laughing blue eyes shone with truth and purity. ‘It was you,” said the prince, ‘who saved my life when I lay dead on the beach,’ and he folded his blushing bride in his arms. ‘Oh, I am too happy,’ said he to the little mermaid; ‘my fondest hopes are all fulfilled. You will rejoice at my happiness; for your devotion to me is great and sincere’ (Andersen).
BASICALLY the only reason that the prince does not marry the mermaid is that he finds someone more attractive- not someone he got along better with, someone that he deemed more beautiful. If not for the beautiful princess
Cultural Significance of Time Slide
Hans Christian Anderson wrote "The Little Mermaid" in Denmark in 1836. At the time, the nation was a strict patriarchy. Women always under the rule of superior men. Before turning 15, young girls had to stay at home and obey their fathers- they were not yet presentable. This cultural rule is reflected in the fairy tale as the Little Mermaid and her sisters must remain under the sea and the rule of the sea king until they turn 15, the age at which girls are ready for marriage. Furthermore, in patriarchal Denmark, men had say in marriage and women had to adapt to whichever man they were to marry. This standard is refelcted most strongly in "The Little Mermaid" as it serves as the story's underlying theme.
Speaker Notes:
A woman was not ready to leave her parents and see the world until age 15
She can’t even be seen by men until 15
Anderson, possibly gay, criticized men of the time as shallow, only looking for a beautiful woman
Thought men should look for more
19th Century was a strict patriarchy
Women had no say in society or government
Men required loyalty from their woman
Denmark had a King (Frederick VI) from 1808 to 1839
Modern Day Relevance Slides
Even though the western world no longer is a strict patriarchy (Denmark is now ruled by a Queen), people still default to the shallow roles of a patriarchy reflected in "The Little Mermaid." Physical appearance is still held in high importance in daily life, and this importance is only emphasized by media. Beauty adverts, magazine covers, celebrities setting an example with plastic surgery, and song highlighting one's beauty (often under more derogatory wording) account for some of the world's most prominent and popular media. Furthermore, young girls coming of age still feel societal pressure to change in order to become, as the Dove states, "flawless." Eighty-seven percent of the 15.8 million cosmetic plastic surgeries in 2014 were performed on female patients. The cosmetic industry, also female centered, is worth more than 50 billion dollars annually. Despite the removal of a strict patriarchy, men and women default to former male dominance standards.
Speaker Notes:
Males and females still hold beauty as an important characteristic in relationships
Women especially have the choice to stray from the way of society, but they still follow the way of wanting beauty that has been relevant for centuries
Women aren't bound to their roles anymore but still choose to adhere to those standards.
The age of consent is 15
Denmark even has a queen now
Journal
Western society has evolved much since 1836 in terms of gender roles. Women are no longer completely subordinate to men and males no longer dominate society outright; however, society cannot seem to shake off old roots. Men, and women especially, still default to shallow patriarchal roles. Women frequently change their appearance under in pursuit of love from a man. While the motivation for change is no longer outright law, such as it was in the 19th century, the change occurs nonetheless. Societal pressure now accounts for the motivation for most young women who change. The media influences are innumerable and omnipresent. Cosmetic companies advertise that beauty means flawless appearance and use (ironically named) models to model what beautiful looks like.
How can a young girl achieve beauty? She can either choose to use the cosmetic products and look beautifully flawless, or choose not to use them and be a flawed human. This is the message that cosmetic companies send. Furthermore, magazines and celebrities add to the stress for beautiful figure. Magazines highlight hottest guys on their covers and display the most flawless girls who date these guys- girls who have undergone numerous plastic surgeries and likely spent millions on cosmetics to change their appearance and achieve so-called "flawlessness". The world of celebrities teaches young women that one must have a beautiful appearance in order to date the most beautiful men.
Modern young women now have the freedom to choose who they want to be, but the media influences young women to choose the exact same option that the Little Mermaid and 19th century patriarchy says they should choose: beautiful for men. Our research found proof of this choice in the size of the plastic surgery industry. In 2014, 12 billion dollars were spent on over 15 million cosmetic procedures, and the numbers grow every single year. Eighty-seven percent of these procedures were performed on female patients. Furthermore, we conducted a survey on high school students about the importance of various qualities in a relationship and found that over 70% of both boys and girls surveyed find appearance to be important. Even though women now have freedom of choice, our media still influences women to abide by old patriarchal roles.
On a more positive note, our survey returned many results pointing to far less shallow individuals than those highlighted in our media. Over ninety percent of the high school students surveyed agree that one's humor, work ethic, and confidence are of importance in a relationship. Furthermore, every person surveyed united in agreement that intelligence, kindness, empathy, trustworthiness, and temperament are fundamental relationship qualities. These figures in favor of one's character traits outweigh the value placed on appearance. People may still value physical beauty, but really, who can blame us? Our DNA is coded at the core to seek out potential mates with our most dominant sense: sight. It takes an individual of great integrity to completely override this instinct, and our survey results indicate that most high school students possess some level of integrity. The majority of those surveyed place greater value on one's character than one's appearance. Full Survey Results Summary of Survey Results Bibliography (Last Slide of Presentation)
"2014 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report." PlasticSurgery.org. American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2015. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. http://www.plasticsurgery.org/
Dahlerup, Pil. "Splash! Six Views of "The Little Mermaid"" Department of Scandinavian Studies. University of Wisconsin. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
Knight, Lara. "Mermaid and Their Cultural Significance in Literature and Folklore." The University of Georgia Libraries. The University of Georgia, 1 Aug. 2005. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/knight_lara_r_200508_ma.pdf
Pickering, Robbie. "To What Extent May a Gender Perspective Help Us Understand the Characters, Their Desires and Motivation in Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Mermaid'?" Academia. Academia. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. http://academia.edu
Saiful, Jepri Ali. "The Symbols of Gender-Stereotype in Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid." Academia. Academia. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
My parents met each other under rather peculiar circumstances. Back in the day, when my father was still just Prince Eric of Denmark, he was on the eve of his 24th birthday. Yes, he is same Prince Eric whom you think to know so well from "The Little Mermaid" tale. Let me pause to say that I haven't the slightest clue who wrote up such an ridiculous story about my father and his choice of wife, but do not believe the lie! He was no shallow man! My father was honorable and chose his wife because of qualities far beyond her physical appearance! To even accuse him- sorry, I apologize for my emotional outburst. Let me explain what really happened. On the eve of his 24th birthday he still had no lucky woman in mind to marry. His father (my grandfather) was growing old and Prince Eric would inherit the throne in a few short years, but he could not face the embarrassment of doing so without a future queen! He set out to find one. Now as I have made clear, he was an honorable man. He valued many qualities in a woman- he understood that there is much more to an individual than how she looks. Consequently, my father did not begin his search by attending parties of celebrities or taking Miss Denmark out for dinner; rather, he began his search at Copenhagen University. Interviewing each and every professor, he developed a list of the University's hardest working female pupils. Work ethic is one qualities he greatly admired in hard-working women. He took this list of about twenty students and anonymously asked them to write an essay about Denmark's poor. My father considered compassion and empathy of great importance to one's personality. As a result, the young women who wrote the most empathetic pieces he decided to further pursue. Honesty and trustworthiness were also important. He observed the remaining seven candidates as they walked by an abandoned wallet he planted beside the road. Three women picked up the wallet and, after failing to find its proper owner, turned it into the authorities. These lucky three my father deemed to have honest character. He treated each one to an elegant dinner along the North Sea to make his final decision.
Presentation and Analysis
Theme and Title Slide
The Little Mermaid had to sacrifice her individuality in her pursuit of the prince's love. The story's theme reflects 19th century patriarchy- in order for a marriage to work, the woman must change to fit her man. The Little Mermaid gave up her voice to earn legs in order to be more like the prince; the prince gave up nothing to fit the little mermaid's idea of beauty. Hans Christian Anderson also adds some personal criticism of men to the cultural norm of subordinate women. He believes that men are shallow and care only for beauty in women. The prince chooses his wife based solely on the fact that she has the most beautiful appearance- he does not take anything else into consideration when selecting a mate.
Speaker Notes:
Naïve Child Slide
The Little Mermaid fits the innocent child archetype of fairy tales. She perceives only her world of happiness and peace, and she is at unawares of the pain that exits in the world. She hand feeds fish, fails to understand that humans can drown, and cannot comprehend the depth behind the idea of death. Furthermore, she is extremely curious about what she does not know, constantly pestering her grandmother and sisters for knowledge about the surface above her innocent sea world.
Speaker Notes:
Blue Slide
Blue in "The Little Mermaid" symbolizes the innocence of the Little Mermaid and the happy, wonderful, pain-free world of the sea that she perceives as an innocent child (detailed above).
Speaker Notes:
Red Slide
Red in "The Little Mermaid" symbolizes her lust for the prince and the Little Mermaid's after her coming of age. The color is frequently associated with her growing up and with her desire to walk on land and be loved by the prince. The color serves as the counterbalance for the blue symbol of innocence; red is the opposite. Red represents maturity and the shallow desires for beauty which Anderson claims come with maturing.
Speaker Notes:
Witches Slide
The sea witch in "The Little Mermaid" fits the classic evil witch archetype of fairy tales. She represents the patriarchal punishments for mature women who try to express their individuality. Her comfort in her sexuality is symbolized by her friendly relationship with the ugly water snakes, a sexual symbol. As a result of her comfort, the witch ends up alone, ugly, and shunned. The sea witch and the witch archetype serve as a warning to young girls approaching maturity: submit to men or society will ostracize you.
Speaker Notes:
Voice Slide
Voice in "The Little Mermaid" symbolizes the Little Mermaid's individuality. What is a better tool of self expression than one's voice? It is how one expresses opinions, desires, dreams, etc. Naturally, when the Mermaid surrenders her individuality in order to be with her man, as the theme commands of young women coming of age, she does so by literally giving up her voice and as witch cuts off her tongue. The mermaid's surrender of her voice parallels her surrender of individuality.
Speaker Notes:
Legs Slide
Legs in "Little Mermaid" symbolize the Prince's shallow view of a good mate: a beautiful woman. Consequently, when the Mermaid changes who she is to fit the Prince, she does so by trading her own mermaid tail for a pair of human legs to match the Prince. She must change to marry the prince; the legs symbolize what she must change to.
Speaker Notes:
Prince Charming Slide
The prince in "The Little Mermaid" fits one handsome prince archetype of fairy tales. He is the prince charming whom our female protagonist desperately desires. He is handsome (which is why the the protagonist even seeks his love), superior, and gets to choose which woman he will marry: the protagonist or another woman? Oddly enough, the prince in "Little Mermaid" defies the standard archetype by choosing not to marry the protagonist. Why? Anderson is simultaneously making a point that men are shallow and ignorant- despite the Little Mermaid's obvious faithfulness, he chooses to marry another woman simply because he finds her more beautiful.
Speaker Notes:
Cultural Significance of Time Slide
Hans Christian Anderson wrote "The Little Mermaid" in Denmark in 1836. At the time, the nation was a strict patriarchy. Women always under the rule of superior men. Before turning 15, young girls had to stay at home and obey their fathers- they were not yet presentable. This cultural rule is reflected in the fairy tale as the Little Mermaid and her sisters must remain under the sea and the rule of the sea king until they turn 15, the age at which girls are ready for marriage. Furthermore, in patriarchal Denmark, men had say in marriage and women had to adapt to whichever man they were to marry. This standard is refelcted most strongly in "The Little Mermaid" as it serves as the story's underlying theme.
Speaker Notes:
Modern Day Relevance Slides
Even though the western world no longer is a strict patriarchy (Denmark is now ruled by a Queen), people still default to the shallow roles of a patriarchy reflected in "The Little Mermaid." Physical appearance is still held in high importance in daily life, and this importance is only emphasized by media. Beauty adverts, magazine covers, celebrities setting an example with plastic surgery, and song highlighting one's beauty (often under more derogatory wording) account for some of the world's most prominent and popular media. Furthermore, young girls coming of age still feel societal pressure to change in order to become, as the Dove states, "flawless." Eighty-seven percent of the 15.8 million cosmetic plastic surgeries in 2014 were performed on female patients. The cosmetic industry, also female centered, is worth more than 50 billion dollars annually. Despite the removal of a strict patriarchy, men and women default to former male dominance standards.
Speaker Notes:
Journal
Western society has evolved much since 1836 in terms of gender roles. Women are no longer completely subordinate to men and males no longer dominate society outright; however, society cannot seem to shake off old roots. Men, and women especially, still default to shallow patriarchal roles. Women frequently change their appearance under in pursuit of love from a man. While the motivation for change is no longer outright law, such as it was in the 19th century, the change occurs nonetheless. Societal pressure now accounts for the motivation for most young women who change. The media influences are innumerable and omnipresent. Cosmetic companies advertise that beauty means flawless appearance and use (ironically named) models to model what beautiful looks like.
How can a young girl achieve beauty? She can either choose to use the cosmetic products and look beautifully flawless, or choose not to use them and be a flawed human. This is the message that cosmetic companies send. Furthermore, magazines and celebrities add to the stress for beautiful figure. Magazines highlight hottest guys on their covers and display the most flawless girls who date these guys- girls who have undergone numerous plastic surgeries and likely spent millions on cosmetics to change their appearance and achieve so-called "flawlessness". The world of celebrities teaches young women that one must have a beautiful appearance in order to date the most beautiful men.
Modern young women now have the freedom to choose who they want to be, but the media influences young women to choose the exact same option that the Little Mermaid and 19th century patriarchy says they should choose: beautiful for men. Our research found proof of this choice in the size of the plastic surgery industry. In 2014, 12 billion dollars were spent on over 15 million cosmetic procedures, and the numbers grow every single year. Eighty-seven percent of these procedures were performed on female patients. Furthermore, we conducted a survey on high school students about the importance of various qualities in a relationship and found that over 70% of both boys and girls surveyed find appearance to be important. Even though women now have freedom of choice, our media still influences women to abide by old patriarchal roles.
On a more positive note, our survey returned many results pointing to far less shallow individuals than those highlighted in our media. Over ninety percent of the high school students surveyed agree that one's humor, work ethic, and confidence are of importance in a relationship. Furthermore, every person surveyed united in agreement that intelligence, kindness, empathy, trustworthiness, and temperament are fundamental relationship qualities. These figures in favor of one's character traits outweigh the value placed on appearance. People may still value physical beauty, but really, who can blame us? Our DNA is coded at the core to seek out potential mates with our most dominant sense: sight. It takes an individual of great integrity to completely override this instinct, and our survey results indicate that most high school students possess some level of integrity. The majority of those surveyed place greater value on one's character than one's appearance.
Full Survey Results
Summary of Survey Results
Bibliography (Last Slide of Presentation)